Friday, February 1, 2019

I woke up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

It’s a new month, time to pay the bills.

Jim and I left the apt at 8:30 and took a bus to the park.  I picked up a free Adn newspaper outside Exito.  We stepped in Bancolombia where we picked up my turn number.  We were only about 20 turns shy and the lobby wasn’t crowded so this would probably go faster than usual.  Anyway, we went to Carbon de Leña where we had calentado for breakfast.  I bought a Q’Hubo newspaper with the Condorito comic inside for Chuck.  We walked back to Bancolombia and they were already 20 numbers past our turn.  I took a new number and it was our turn after about a 15 minute wait.  I got my World Remit cash and the cashier deposited the required amounts to the accounts for my apt, my health insurance and the gym.

Crossing a street we ran into Charles Turner and he told us about a Superbowl party at Hotel Nutibarra.  Jim and I may go there Sunday instead of Patricks to try to avoid the crowds.

We walked to nueve eps to pick up Teresa’s blood test results.  A lady sent me to the front of the building where I picked up a receipt for an appointment for Teresa.  We walked to Todo Drogas where I picked up my medicine for the month, we stopped at $efecty where I paid the Direct TV bill then we took a taxi back to the apt.  I picked up a free Gente newspaper outside the guard shack.

Back at the apt Teresa was not happy that I wasn’t able to pick up her blood test results.  She called Esmeralda and I understand she will bring them over later.  Teresa needs them for her doctor’s appointment on Monday.

Among new US movie releases I would like to see Arctic (7.3).

Locally, I would like to see Escape Room (6.4) and Teresa wants to see A Dog’s Way Home (6.4).

We left the apt at 1:15 and took a taxi to Mayorista where Jim was looking for a seafood restaurant called El Barco.  The driver drove us around and we finally got out at Amazonas Pescados & Amariscos.  Teresa ordered fish and I basically ordered the same Peruvian dish as last night.  Unexpectedly, Jim had a beer then got up and went looking for El Barco.  We agreed to meet at the traffic circle at 3pm.

Teresa and I enjoyed our food and we were finished just in time to meet Jim at the traffic circle.  We got there at 3pm and he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.  Teresa talked to someone and we learned that there was a food court up on the 3^rd floor.  We still didn’t see Jim.  What did people do in the days before cellphones?  (They got lost a lot!?)  We went back downstairs and we saw him on the other side of the street.  We quickly caught a taxi and on the way to Viva Envigado Jim talked to him in English.  He graduated from the University of Massachusetts.

We walked around Viva Envigado and at one point I stopped at Cine Colombia to get my Platinum card.  The cashier went to get the manager and another cashier stopped by (I think to learn the procedure) but after checking for a minute she proclaimed that the system wasn’t working and I should come back tomorrow.

We stopped in Home Center where we bought 2 plastic anti-slip shower mats.

According to the Adn newspaper the unemployment rate here has increased to 9.7%.  Another article had a photo of people walking on the Michigan Avenue bridge over the frozen Chicago river. 

Esmeralda visited for awhile and I gave her 3 oatmeal cookies to take to Alejandro.  Esmeralda has Fibromyalgia and I understand that is why I had Jim bring her the Acetominophen.

We left the apt about 7:45 and took a taxi to Antica Pizza.  As usual it was busy and we had to wait outside for awhile but eventually we got seats inside.

We were back at the apt by 9:30.

  

Joke of the day

An Irishman named Murphy went to his doctor after a long illness.

The doctor, after a lengthy examination, sighed and looked Murphy in the eye and said, "I've some bad news for you... you have cancer and it can't be cured. I'd give you two weeks to a month."

Murphy, shocked and saddened by the news, but of solid character, managed to compose himself and walk from the doctor's office to the waiting room. There he saw his son who had been waiting.

Murphy said, "Son, we Irish celebrate when things are good and celebrate when things don't go so well. In this case, things aren't so well. I have cancer and I've been given a short time to live. Let's head for the pub and have a few pints."

After three or four pints the two were feeling a little less somber. There were some laughs and more beers. They were eventually approached by some of Murphy's old friends who asked what the two were celebrating.

Murphy told them that the Irish celebrate the good and the bad... he went on to tell them that they were drinking to his impending end. He told his friends, "I've only got a few weeks to live as I have been diagnosed with AIDS." The friends gave Murphy their condolences and they had a couple more beers.

After his friends left, Murphy's son leaned over and whispered, "Dad, I thought you said that you were dying from cancer. You just told your friends that you were dying from AIDS!"

Murphy said, "I am dying from cancer, son, I just don't want any of them sleeping with your mother after I'm gone."